


halcyon

by reindeerjumper



Category: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
Genre: Bathtubs, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-08 19:05:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15936458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reindeerjumper/pseuds/reindeerjumper
Summary: dawsey never knew warmth until juliet came into his life.





	halcyon

**Author's Note:**

> my first fic for this fandom! i was shipping these two before i even finished the movie, and now i must read the book. hopefully this does these two justice :)

Dawsey knew summer on Guernsey was coming to a close when the days started fading earlier. The whole of the island would look like it was dipped in gold as the days grew colder. The sun would sink below the horizon like a paper lantern--slowly and softly. Warm, diffused light would touch everything it could reach, gilding the trees and the fence posts, reflecting off the sea and creating an even brighter glint in Juliet’s eyes.

It was late in September when he had been out in the pigyard, tending to the sows and stowing hay in the barn. Kit was at Amelia’s, Juliet was down on the beach. Life was much easier now that things had settled to where they should be. 

Dawsey finished his day’s work just as the sun was starting to paint the trees with dying light. He leaned against the handle of his shovel, admiring the view as his breath puffed in front of him. The exertion from shoveling had smattered his top lip and brow with sweat, and it now made him shiver in the early bits of evening. He lifted the bottom of his old navy jumper, dragging it across his face to try and wick some of the moisture off of his face. 

Behind him stood his and Juliet’s house, it’s stone and mortar and blue door feeling more like a home than anywhere else ever had. In a few months, Juliet had given him so much more than he could have ever hoped for. 

She’d filled his life with music--records crackling on an old gramophone as she twirled Kit around the kitchen, soft humming while she brushed her hair at night, the melodic clack of typewriter keys. 

His bookcases were filled to the brim with a hodgepodge of literature, some belonging to him, some belonging to Kit, most belonging to Juliet.  _ They belong to all of us, _ she had said, her smile infectious as she placed Shakespeare’s  _ A Midsummer Night’s Dream _ on the shelf next to his copy of Charles Lamb. He smiled at the memory.

He had become accustomed to waking up in the morning next to her, his body pressed up against her. He never knew warmth the way he did with Juliet. She warmed him from the inside out. Mornings next to her were the best of his life, his nose buried in her hair as he pulled her closer to him, hearing her sigh softly as she melted into his chest.

Yes, Juliet had given him quite a bit.

Dawsey scanned the yard in front of the house. He knew Juliet wasn’t home yet--her bicycle wasn’t leaning against the gate--so he decided to get the house warm before she got back from the shoreline. Trudging up the pathway, he leaned his shovel against the fence before blowing into his hands. A few yellow leaves floated around him, settling on the stones in front of him and crunching merrily beneath his boot. It was hard to believe that he couldn’t find joy in something that simple two years ago. 

The walls of the entryway were lined with shoes, coats and hats hanging on hooks above them. As Dawsey walked through, he let one of Juliet’s silk scarves run through his fingers, bringing the corner to his nose before moving into the kitchen. There was a stew simmering on the stove, diffusing the smell of rosemary and sweet carrots through the house. Dawsey went over to it, gave it a stir, lifted the spoon to his mouth. It tasted like Juliet--warm and comforting. He smiled.

From the kitchen, he made his way up the staircase to their bedroom. The bed was made--a first for him, but that was all Juliet’s doing--and there was a vase of Guernsey lilies on the nightstand. The sight of the scarlet flowers next to his bed made him smile. Juliet had gushed over them when she first saw them, calling them  _ yet another wonderful surprise Guernsey holds. _ He tried to bring a fistful of them home for her whenever he could.

Dawsey kicked off his boots, stowing them under the bed before sitting on the mattress. He pulled his jumper off over his head, then undid the buttons on his shirt. Next came his pants and socks until he was only in a pair of boxers and a vest. He grabbed his old dressing gown off of the hook on the door and slid into a pair of well worn slippers before shuffling towards the bathroom.

A bathroom with running water in the house was a luxury he hadn’t really considered until Juliet. The large clawfoot tub sat at the far end of the room underneath a west facing window, a small table next to it with soap and shampoo. Dawsey turned the water on, patiently waiting for it to warm up so he could fill the tub. 

As he sat on the porcelain edge, he considered how much easier those winters of occupation would have been if he had been able to take a hot bath. Drawing and warming water for even a fraction of time had been daunting, which is why he had allotted himself the luxury intermittently. Now, though, he could bathe as often as he pleased. A luxurious soak still wasn’t frequent, but it was appreciated nonetheless.

Once the water was precariously close to the top, Dawsey divested himself of the rest of his clothes and slipped into the tub. He immediately felt the tension from the day leave his body, and he let out a long sigh as he sunk lower and lower into the water. The light from outside diffused through the window, casting shadows from the leaves across his face and chest. It was rare that the house was ever quiet, and Dawsey allowed himself to enjoy the silence.

He must have nodded off, because the next thing he knew, someone was standing--kneeling?--behind him, their arms draped around his neck and the cold tip of their nose buried behind his ear.

“Hello,” he said, bringing a hand up to cover the one that was laying against his collarbone. 

“Hello,” Juliet murmured into his ear. She smelled like the ocean and cold air, the slightest hint of lavender making itself known when she was close enough.

“Find any inspiration?”

“A bit.” He felt her shift behind him. He could hear her taking off her shoes and the rustle of her clothes as she dropped them on the cold tile floor. A flash of creamy skin caught the corner of his eye, but she was disappearing beneath the water across from him just as quickly as she had appeared. 

No matter how many times he had the privilege of seeing her naked, it always took his breath away. Her face was still flushed from the cold outside, her cheeks and nose a shade more pink than the rest of her face. She was thigh-deep in the water now, still sinking into its warmth, and he had to stop himself from reaching out to trace the small constellation of freckles across her stomach. 

“Juliet,” he breathed. Seeing the dumbstruck look on his face caused her to laugh, a sound that still pooled warm in his belly. “God you are gorgeous.”

“And you’re ridiculous,” she replied, leaning against the back of the tub as the water lapped up and around her collarbones. 

“Ridiculously in love, perhaps.”

She nudged him with her toe as she grinned at him. He caught her foot in his hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss the arch. Juliet’s head lolled back against the tub, her laughter echoing against the walls. Dawsey kissed the spot once more before Juliet gently tugged her foot from his grip. She shifted in the water causing it to splash over the side. The light from outside sparkled against the ripples, a glittering pool of gold and orange.

Slowly, Juliet approached Dawsey. She straddled his lap, bringing her hands up and around his neck to cradle his head in her arms. He settled his hands on her hips, holding her against him so that there was no space between them.

“May I kiss you?” he asked breathlessly. He brought a sopping hand out of the water to gently stroke her cheek with his thumb. A shimmering line of water was left in its wake.

“You don’t have to ask, Dawsey,” she murmured, the corner of her mouth tilting up.

He didn’t need to be told twice. Leaning in, her softly pressed his mouth against hers, the tip of her nose still chilly from the sea air. He felt her lips move against his, her breasts pressing against his chest. The tips of his fingers dug deeper into her hips, pulling her closer. She was now dragging her nails through his scalp, tugging his hair ever-so-gently. The groan that escaped him couldn’t be contained.

“Oh, Dawsey,” she whispered, smiling against his mouth. Juliet surged forward again, the softness of her lips claiming his breath. She kissed him enthusiastically, her teeth gently pressing down on his bottom lip. He took pleasure in the sharpness of the sensation. His own mouth was working against hers, his tongue gliding into her mouth, the tip of it brushing against her lip and across the row of perfect, white teeth behind it. 

Suddenly, Juliet pushed away from him and stood up. She looked down at him with a wicked grin as he stared back up at her, baffled. With the grace of a ballet dancer, she stepped out of the tub and quickly grabbed a towel. Dawsey watched her dry off, the sparkling droplets of water covering her skin quickly disappearing with each swipe. 

“What are you doing?” he finally asked. His voice was gravel.

“Going to the bedroom, of course,” she replied matter-of-factly. Glancing over her shoulder, she continued, “Aren’t you?”

“If you’ll have me.”

She laughed at this, loudly. 

“I’ll always have you, Dawsey Adams. I promised forever, and I don’t break promises.”

With that, she traipsed out of the bathroom, but not before looking back at him and winking. 

It took all of Dawsey’s willpower to not fall out of the tub as he scrambled after her. 

**Author's Note:**

> this is also the first fic i've written since having my second daughter 2 weeks ago, so i'm not 100% sure everything makes sense? #sleepdeprivation


End file.
